Youpla funeral insurance founder’s multi-million dollar yacht arrives in Vanuatu

The company founded by Ron Pattenden's collapsed owing millions in unpaid policies to thousands of low-income Aboriginal families

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A multimillion-dollar yacht owned by Ron Pattenden, the founder of a funeral fund that collapsed owing millions in unpaid policies to thousands of low-income Aboriginal families, has sailed to tax haven Vanuatu, as questions escalate over his involvement in the company from which he received $20m in tax-free income over a decade.

On Saturday Pattenden's yacht, Dream Catcher, was moored at a pier outside the Blue Marlin fishing lodge, which he formerly owned, in Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila. The yacht had made a five-day trip from New Zealand, where Pattenden has been living and owns a property portfolio.